Edinburgh Fringe programme published

The official Edinburgh Fringe programme has been published today – boasting a record 3,314 shows.

That's an increase of five per cent on last year and almost double the size of 2004's event, which contained 1,695 shows.

The 2015 festival will also welcome more than 50,000 performers for the first time in its history, while the number of venues has risen to 313.

And the figure excludes many free shows which do not register for the official Fringe programme. This year, 807 free shows are listed, down from 825 last year, even before the fiasco over the Cowgatehead venue.

Comedy makes up 34 per cent of the programme, compared to 34.5 per cent last year.

Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Fringe, said today: 'The Fringe is a festival like no other. Completely open access – where artists don't need to wait for an invitation, where anyone with a story to tell is welcome. Where there's no curator, no vetting, no barriers. Just incredible talent from almost 50 countries all over the world.'

The cover of the Fringe programme highlights the same message, containing a poem that talks of shows without boundaries that may shock or offend.

Click here for the official edfringe.com site or here to browse Chortle's comedy listings, which can be searched by date and time.

Published: 4 Jun 2015